Modern Witches: Skies of Liberation
by Seeker of Stars
Summary: Set in the future of 20XX, the world is once again engulfed in another war with the Neuroi but unknown to humanity, they have grown stronger and smarter. Will humanity triumph once again, or will it fall under the threat a new and improved enemy? R&R
1. Chapter 1  The Request

__Disclaimer: I do not own the Strike Witches franchise and do not profit from this. I only own the OCs I created._  
><em>

_A/N: Hello, I'm the Seeker of Stars and this is my first fan fiction so please go easy on me. Anyway, this story was inspired by Ogitsune's 1991 Witches which you can find on the booru sites and Firstspear's doujin. It got me thinking, 'how would the modern world be if the Neuroi threat persist? How would the world adapt? How would technology improve over the next few generations from its humble beginnings?'. These are some of the questions I asked myself before I started this little story. Also, this story will revolve around OCs I've created with maybe a cameo mention of witches from the original series or even a cameo of their descendents but it depends.  
><em>

_As I mentioned, this is my first ever publication so please let me know what you think. I would appreciate any feedbacks (be it good or bad). Anyway, please enjoy this story set in the future!_

_Credits: Special thanks to my proof-reader, Kay (without your guidance, my writing would have turned crappy). Also thanks to the guys in a certain forum for giving me excellent feedbacks and ideas (seriously, you guys rock!)_

_Edit: Also, thanks to **Zoids Fanatic **for his clarification on the Neuroi's first appearances (how could I missed that? *slaps self*)._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 – The Request<strong>

**Luftwaffe Main Headquarters, Berlin, Karsland**

**0900hrs**

Commander Wilfred Reinhardt let out a soft sigh, taking a sip of black coffee, while reading through a file he had just received from the Alliance of Nations, or AN for short. The file contained the current desperate situation faced by humanity; the complete occupation of the Gulf and the Kingdom of Tianxia by alien beings that had plagued humanity for countless decades. We, humans, call them 'Neuroi'.

Since their first appearance as hostile beings in 1914, they have constantly waged a terrible war against humanity; leaving scorched earth, barren lands, destroyed livelihoods and the lost of millions of lives. No matter how many times humanity prevailed against them, they will always... no, surely return and continue their wanton destruction. History proves that.

As the commander continued to read the file, he noticed something in the file that caught his attention.

_...Multiple unknown Neuroi types reported by both frontline troops and Witches. These Neuroi seems to vary in type and are somehow able to devise tactics and strategies, according to witnesses. They were also said to be far more resilient and stronger than previous Neuroi documented in 1995..._

Great, the Neuroi are getting stronger. The silver-haired commander let out another soft sigh. The world had no idea what they are facing... Ever since the complete victory against the aliens in the 1995 Gulf-Neuroi War, the world had thought that they had driven out the aliens once and for all and thus grew complacent. Since then, countries bickered amongst each other over the smallest of issues.

Wilfred shook his head. _Dumpkopfs. The whole lot of them, _he thought. Because of their constant exchange of insults and accusations, the alliance they once had dissolved like butter in a hot pan. The situation can't get any worse than this...maybe it could get worse. He did not know.

**Knock! Knock! Knock!**

The knocking on his office door broke his train of thoughts. He took another sip of his coffee before speaking. _Bitter...just the way I like it._

"...Who is it?" He asked bluntly while his eyes were still glued to the report. Wilfred was annoyed by this sudden interruption. He hated interruptions, especially when he was thinking and usually the culprit who interrupted him would either spend a week on kitchen duty or cleaning duty. He hated it just that much.

"Pardon for disturbing you, Herr Commander..." replied a somewhat soft feminine voice which Wilfred assumed to be his secretary."Y-You have a visitor, sir."

The Karsland commander raised an eyebrow. A visitor? He almost never gets visitors. Usually he'd be away overseeing the training efforts of the troops and the witches as well as making sure everything was in order. It was his style and the only time he is in his office is when he wanted to take some time to gather his thoughts.

"I hope it is important, Mili." He told his secretary who squeaked at the mention of her name. "You know I hate interruptions..."

"Y-Yes...someone from AN wanted t-to see you, s-sir." The secretary, Mili, replied meekly from behind the door, an 'eep' could be heard. _Someone from the Alliance of Nations? _It got Wilfred curious. "A General McKane, s-sir."

The commander knew who it was. In fact, he knew so much about the general that he was disgusted at himself. He sighed. General Bryan McKane, general of the Alliance of Nations and an old friend of his. Never would Wilfred thought that his old friend would pay him a visit. "...Very well. Let him in."

As the door opened, a dark-haired man in his late twenties wearing a navy blue military uniform entered the room. A calm air surrounded the man, seemingly filling the room as he walked. Medals decorated the left side of his chest, proving that he was someone of great status and influence. The man smiled and greeted the Karsland commander with a simple hand gesture.

"Wilfred."

"Bryan." The commander greeted back with a nod.

"Been a long time, hasn't it? How've you been, you old dog?" The man called Bryan said as he sat down on the visitor's chair facing Wilfred's hardwood desk and cast his gaze around the room. The office was spacious yet felt homey at the same time. There was a big cushion at the very corner of the room, which Bryan suspect that his old friend used to take naps in. There were also 2 shelves behind the commander's desk; one seemed to contain files while the other contained vintage wines which caught the general's attention almost immediately. Both shelves were safely secured with a lock. Bryan smirked, "Nice place you got here."

"You say that, while eye-balling my wine collection" Wilfred refuted without much of a look. He knew of the general's weakness to fine wines. Wilfred rolled his eyes heavenwards.

"Well, old habits never change," his visitor chuckled good-naturedly.

The Karslander smirked, something he almost never does. Seems like time has not changed his old friend one bit, albeit looking older for someone his age. He could say the same for himself as well. Young in age but old in experience, something he'd sighed to just thinking about it.

"Anyway," His old friend said as he cleared his throat, his expression suddenly changing, "The reason I'm here is because I have a request from you on behalf of the Alliance of Nations."

The Karslander raised his eyebrow once again, closing the report he and been reading and setting it inside the left side drawer of his durable desk. Somehow, the part about 'on behalf of the Alliance of Nations' intrigued him. Normally, the Alliance of Nations, or AN as he preferred to call it, would NEVER send someone of great influence like, let's say a certain General, to request something. Yes, the AN were jerks and Wilfred didn't like them one bit but he didn't had much choice since the AN were the main source of co-operation amongst countries because of the legislation drawn up during its creation, decades ago, amongst all known countries where each country was required to comply to any request made by the organization in the event of another alien attack. Usually, they would simply send a letter detailing what the request is and expect an answer within a week. Failure to do so would usually be met with deplorable remarks from the AN about the said country or victim.

_Jerks. This world is filled with them._ But now, a high-ranking General of the AN was in his presence claiming to have a formal request from AN. Something he never thought he would see in his lifetime – the AN sending someone of great importance to ask for a request. Oh sweet Karslandish sausage, he will forever burn this image into his mind.

"...Interesting," the Karsland commander managed to mutter in mild amusement as he fought to maintain his composure. He hoped that his old friend had not noticed the slight grin he had on his lips, "Then, let me hear it then. Your request." This was going to be good...

* * *

><p><strong>Luftwaffe 2<strong>**nd**** Brigade Witch Training Academy, Berlin, Karsland.**

**1100hrs**

It was a busy day as usual in the academy as Witches-to-be trained and studied in order for them to earn their wings. Karsland was famous for producing top-notch witches ever since the destruction and occupation of their Fatherland in 1944. Witches such as the famous 'Star of Afrika' Hanna-Justina Marseille, 501st Joint Fighter Wing commander Minna D. Wilcke, top aces Erica Hartmann and Gertrude Barkhorn, just to name a few, whose legacies continued to inspire many Karslanders even today. As a testament to Karsland's ability to produce renowned aces, they had added a new legacy into their already rich history.

Oberstleutnant Olivia Hedwig Welter was that legacy. A veteran of the First Gulf-Neuroi War and one of the top-scoring aces during the war, she was affectionately called 'The Goddess of the Sky' or simply 'The Goddess'. She was on liaison with the United States of Liberion's carrier fleet which saw the most action during the war. After the war, she returned to the Fatherland and took up teaching young, aspiring Witches at the academy.

Currently, Olivia was giving a lecture about the history of the Witches to a class of about twenty young witches, who were listening intently to their idol and role model.

"We, witches, have fought against the Neuroi for many generations. Ever first the first alien invasion during 1914, humanity had tried to come up with ways to help defend against them." Her firm yet calm voice echoed through the classroom. "It was thanks to the creation of the Striker Units by Dr. Miyafuji Ichiro in the 1930s that the age of witches was born. Ever since then, we have dedicated our lives to defend our homes from the Neuroi."

"Um...ma'am?" one of her students raised her hand "I have a question, ma'am."

Olivia smiled kindly at the student. Cadet Katharina Swartz, a 12 year-old, short-haired recruit who was always curious about things but also very shy. Her grades were above average and Olivia had only heard praises of her during the flight training exercises from the instructors. She would make a promising witch.

"I-Is it true that we will be fighting against the Neuroi again soon?" Katharina blushed as she asked. Olivia wasn't surprised by the question. In fact, she had expected such a question. After all, the news about the Neuroi taking over the Gulf and the eastern kingdom were broadcasted almost every day. She could also hear the hint of fear in the girl's voice as the rest around her tensed up. They were scared...well, why wouldn't they be.

"Yes," The oberstleutnant said bluntly. All the girls tensed up a bit at the simple answer. "It is only a matter of time before the Neuroi takes over the whole of the Gulf and the Kingdom of Tianxia if we do not do anything," There was silence. It was clear now that her students were afraid – afraid to go to war, afraid to face the Neuroi. She smiled gently to her students in front of her. "But there is no need to fear, my cadets. This is the reason you are here in this academy, to train and become skilled Witches capable of fighting against the aliens. I will make sure that you become Witches worthy of the Luftwaffe's name."

Somehow, the assurance made them feel a bit better. The sudden silence was replaced by the soft chatter of the cadets as they whispered to each other. The mood now was somewhat sombre so Olivia decided to try to liven it up.

"If you train and study hard enough, you might be as famous as the 'Star of Afrika'," Olivia told them, referring to the ace of aces and the pride of Karsland. Every witch in Karsland idolized the Second Neuroi War ace and all aspire to be like her, even Olivia herself.

This got the class going, it seemed. The chatter got louder and the excitement returned as the cadets began to talk about the legendary Witch. Olivia couldn't help but smile, so innocent and pure; it reminded her of her first time hearing about the exploits of the 31st Joint Fighter Group or 'Storm Witches' from her grandmother who also was a veteran of the Second Neuroi War. She remembered the first time she told her beloved grandmother that when she grew up, she wanted to be just like her and the Star of Afrika. She remembered being patted on the head by her as well as her sweet smile. She missed her dearly.

"Will we be as popular as you too, Miss Welter?" one of the cadets asked. It startled the young oberstleutnant, and she smiled, letting out a soft chuckle,

" Popular? Me? Impossible," she murmured, a little louder than she would have liked.

"W-What do you m-mean?" she stuttered as she tried to calm herself and hide her blushing face. It couldn't be could it?

"I mean, Miss Welter is so pretty and strong." Another one of her cadets started to explain, her face brimming with enthusiasm. "Some of us want to be just like the Goddess!" Using the nickname the oberstleutnant had avoided using. The cadet was smiling innocently.

It seemed as if she had achieved another one of her life-long dreams; to be just like her idol. But she never knew it was that tiring to keep up with the publicity and the constant hounding of the press. It was one of the reasons why she had taken up teaching instead of continuing her service as a Witch. She hated the publicity she had gathered under her fame. All she wanted was the recognition for what she'd done, to be appreciated for her work as well as being an inspiration for others, not to be badgered for interviews or constantly asked whether or not so and so rumour was true. Olivia wondered if this was what all famous Witches had to live with and sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly as she did so.

"Miss Welter?"

"...I-Its nothing," having her name called snapped her out of her reverie and brought her back to reality, where she took a moment to regain her composure. Her cadets were now looking curiously at their teacher and exchanging looks with one another, to which Olivia directed their attention back at her by speaking, "I'm glad that you think so highly of me...but I did not become strong overnight." She paused for a moment before she continued, "If you want to be like Hauptmann Marseille... or like... me," her hesitation was almost obvious when she included herself in the same sentence as her idol, "Then you must study and train diligently. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" They all said cheerfully. These girls were really energetic.

Olivia nodded, satisfied with their response. She glanced at her wristwatch. _Hmm, noon already...Guess I should wrap it up... _"Alright then, that is all for today. Remember what you have learned today and make sure you work hard." She said as she gathered her books and prepared to leave the classroom, "Class dismissed."

As she walked out of the classroom, a familiar face greeted her.

"Guten aften, Oberstleutnant," a blonde girl greeted her superior with a sheepish salute, while yawning, "How's school life?"

"Ah, guten aften, Hauptmann Plenzat." She returned the greeting with a nod, ignoring the girl's behaviour. In front of her was Hauptmann Lara Plenzat, a former student of hers. She had the reputation of being the laziest of all her cadets. But what she lacks in behaviour she made up for with her skills as a ground support witch. As much as Olivia hated it, she had to agree that Lara was one of her top students, "I see you are still the same as always."

"I could say the same to you, teach," The blonde Witch retorted as she eyed her former teacher's chest, "Seems like it's grown a bit bigger the last time I saw it," the younger of the two grinned mischievously at this.

Unsure of what the hauptmann was talking about until she followed the blonde's gaze, the flustered oberstleutnant immediately covered her chest with her arms and glared at her former student while lowering her face to hide her flushed face. Seriously, she knew it was still growing but somehow it's becoming a nuisance. She hated it when people tell her she had nice... curves. Particularly in the chest area.

"Anyway, seems like the commander wants to see the two of us." Lara said casually, with a satisfied, lazy grin playing on her lips.

"Herr Commander?"

"Yeah, said something about an important task," said Lara, tapping her temple absent-mindedly with a finger as she tried to remember what she had heard, a moment of silence lingering between the two until the blonde shrugged nonchalantly when nothing came to mind, "Well, better get going. We wouldn't want to keep the commander waiting."

"Indeed," Olivia simply said. She was well aware of the commander's strictness. She shivered whenever she thought of what could happen if she were to incur the commander's wrath. "Let's go, then."

-To be continued-


	2. Chapter 2  The Rebirth of an Enigma

_A/N: Here is chapter 2. Review and let me know what's on your mind._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Strike Witches and if I did, I would be quite rich and famous right now. orz_

_Credit: As always thanks to my friend Kay for proofreading my work.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Chapter 2 – The Rebirth of an Enigma<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Luftwaffe Main Headquarters, Berlin, Karsland<strong>

**1300hrs**

"Oberstleutnant Welter...and Hauptmann Plenzat." Commander Reindhardt addressed the two witches as they entered his office. Still halfway sifting through some documents at his desk, he quickly set those aside and took out two files from the drawer beside him. "Do you know why you have been summoned to my office?"

"No, sir," Both witches replied in unison, Olivia's gaze set on the man before them while the younger of the duo spared a glance at her superior before her eyes fixed her gaze onto the commander. Both had the same question in mind though, and that was regarding why they were called.

Oberstleutnant Olivia suspected that either she or Lara had caused some sort of trouble to warrant a confrontation with the fearsome commander of the Luftwaffe. Yet, she did not remember ever breaking any rules...She spared a glance at the witch beside her. To her utter and complete shock (she kept her surprise to herself, of course), Hauptmann Lara yawned lazily as she stretched her arms, unfazed by the situation they were in.

_I wonder if the Hauptmann disobeyed orders from the superiors again...no, I'm sure she did. We wouldn't be here if she didn't..._She sighed softly and the two witches perked up at the sound of the commander clearing his throat.

"You are here because I have a...special assignment for the two of you." The commander revealed slowly, choosing his words carefully, "As per request from the Alliance of Nations," He held out one of the files he had. It had the official seal of the AN, a wyvern holding a sword in its mouth with the words 'Honor, Duty, Sacrifice' edged at the bottom, "You are to be transferred to the newly formed 707th Joint Fighter Wing based in the Kingdom of Jazira."

Olivia's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. _W-What? A-A-A-A Joint Fighter Wing? _She desperately tried to hold back the excitement growing within her as it seemed like another one of her dreams was about to be fulfilled.

Lara, on the other hand, simply grinned as she heard the news. "A Joint Fighter Wing, eh?" the Hauptmann muttered, her arm crossed over her chest, "Things just got interesting..."

"Um, sir, a question..." the obersleutnant said meekly after somewhat regaining her composure.

Commander Reinhardt gave a slight nod, placed the file on the table and propped his elbows up on the table before placing his fingers together, sharp eyes resting on Olivia's form before he spoke, "Go ahead, oberstleutnant."

Olivia took a breath to steady her voice, "Why would the AN insist on reviving a long lost enigma, sir? I mean, there hasn't been a Joint Wing since the end of the Second Neuroi War."

It didn't make sense to her. After the war, countries began to grow more independent, more...ignorant and with the advancement in technology, the Joint Groups became but a legend; an enigma. Even the First Gulf War was mainly fought by the United States of Liberion while other countries shun the war, with the exception of Karsland and the United Kingdom of Britannia.

"A good question, oberstleutnant." The Commander said simply, closing his eyes as he recalled what General McKane had told him, "According to AN, if we do not join forces to combat this new threat, we wouldn't stand much of a chance of winning this war," He paused and eyed the two witches sternly before continuing, "They have reports from the fronts that the Neuroi are much more organized and had been reported to use military tactics similar to ours. You could say that they've become more...'human'," He said in a disgusted tone, "They've already conquered half of the Eastern Kingdom; defeating even the mighty Orussian army so easily. It's the same in the Gulf."

Both witches stood in silence as the new information sank in. Olivia knew the situation was bad, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad. As her eyes shifted to the side, she saw the Hauptmann lost in thought, her eyes closed and a hand resting on her chin. The commander's stone-like, unsmiling demeanour remained unchanged. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, and it was broken by none other than Reinhardt himself,

"...After much consideration, the Council of AN has come to the conclusion that the Joint Fighter Groups be re-deployed to combat this new threat," he finished calmly, leaning back in his seat with his interlaced fingers resting over his torso, "They've already sent out requests to other countries as well."

"Sir, another question," This time it was Lara who asked, with a somewhat sleepy, but still determined look on her face.

"Speak, Hauptmann," the Commander averted his attention from the file atop his desk to the blonde Witch, who then asked,

"Who would be the Commanding Officer for this 707th, sir?"

"Another good question," a grin spread across Wilfred's feature, surprising both girls. To see the commander smiling was as rare as seeing him not sending someone on kitchen duty as punishment... or worse, "They have specially requested a certain witch for the task," He eyed the oberstleutnant, almost expectantly, "And that witch...would be you, oberstleutnant Welter."

What followed was a series of incomprehensible murmurs from the oberstleutnant as she stuttered at the latest revelation, her face so red, a tomato would be jealous. The thought of leading a Joint Fighter Wing overwhelmed the elder of the two witches. Immediately, the tension in the room was lifted by Olivia's amusing reaction. Lara grinned. She's going to have much teasing her superior from now on, it seemed. To the commander as well, her reaction intrigued him greatly as he poured himself a glass of 1940 Castellani, a wine he had reserved for special occasions. And today was one.

* * *

><p><strong>Kremlin Head Office, Moscow, Orussian Federation<strong>

**1300hrs**

"We're already have out hands tied with the Eastern front...and now the stupid Council wants to request one of our witches?" A blonde Caucasian man in his thirties said in total disgust as he read the file that had just arrived at his office. One could say that the man had his hands full at the moment. "Worst yet is that they wanted to revive an enigma of bygone times!" he threw the file down in front of him, growling at it as if expecting it to shrivel up and disappear from his sights.

"But if you think about it, General," A female voice replied beside him. "This is a good chance to seek help from other countries."

"I will NOT ask for assistance from outsiders!" the General snarled, "It would be an insult to our pride as Orussians."

"...If we do not, we might face complete and utter annihilation, sir," The woman replied simply, studying the general's face for a moment before she continued, "Morale is at its all time low with the troops...and even our Witches are starting to think that all is lost," She sighed, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. The situation cannot get any worse than this, "We cannot retake the Kingdom of Tianxia by ourselves, General. We need the Council's help."

The general rubbed his temples as he thought of the situation. Though he hated to admit it, the Orussian military is in utter disarray. The campaign to liberate their close allies had turned into a military disaster that has all but crushed the Orussian people's will to fight. Given the circumstances, it seemed like he had not much of a choice...

With a sigh, he glanced at the woman who was standing beside his desk, her blonde hair tied up neatly into a bun. As the sunlight sifted into the room, the general could have sworn that the woman glowed under the sun's rays; and he felt his face heat up ever so slightly.

"General Demochev?"

"...I assume you have someone in mind to undertake this...task, Colonel Yakovlev?" he said, turning away from her and resuming his stare-down with the file he had grown to detest in front of him to distract himself. The irritation that he initially had was now gone as he resigned himself. _I am no match for her when it comes to intellect and persuasion..._

"Of course," The colonel replied with a curt nod and handed Demochev a file, which he took and opened it. Upon reading the contents of the folder he had, an eyebrow was raised.

"...Tanya?" he repeated the name that was on the file in a surprised tone, "Why your sister?"

"She has promise. She served with recognition in the Eastern front just recently. I'm sure she will be perfect for this task."

"Are you sure it is not your influence as her older sister the main reason for this?" the General looked up at her quizzically, obviously trying to be sarcastic.

"General!" she said, faking a surprised look and placing her hands on her lips. "How could you even suggest something as insulting as that?"

_Oh, she's one stunning woman..._He couldn't help but grin, "Heh, forget it." He immediately picked up the phone on the desk and dialled a series of numbers. The phone rang twice before someone answered.

"This is Vladimir," Said the voice on the other end.

"Mr. President," The general acknowledged.

"Ah, Demochev! I assume it is about the request from the Council?"

"Yes, sir," The general then began explaining the worsening situation to the Orussian President and the benefits of accepting the request form the Council.

"...I see," Was the only reply the President gave as there was a slight pause. "Though I hate to ask for international assistance in our own war, seems like we don't have much of a choice, do we?"

Demochev had to pause for a moment before replying, "I'm afraid not, sir."

Another short silence greeted him from the President's end of the line before Vladimir answered, "Very well. I will leave it to your capable hands then."

Inwardly, Demochev heaved a heavy sigh and nodded, despite knowing that the man he was speaking to would not be able to see it, "I will not disappoint you, sir."

"I'm sure you won't," The president chuckled over the phone, "Tell Sasha I said hello."

"Will do, sir."

With that the line went dead. Demochev placed the phone back in its cradle and sighed.

"Seems like everything went well," Colonel Sasha commented, with a knowing smile.

"Indeed. The president sends his regards."

"How sweet of him," the blonde woman said with a giggle, one befitting a schoolgirl at the thought of her crush greeting her. Her eyes searched the general's face though, as if she expected a reaction from him.

The general merely grunted. The President had always been a ladies' man, and it wasn't much of a surprise that he would hit on the Colonel as well. But that wasn't really the point at all.

Sasha's smile faltered, and she sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly at the lack of a more... defensive reaction from the general. Frankly, she felt quite disappointed, "I was expecting a much better reaction than that," she clasped her hands behind her, turning away from the general, and he didn't need to look at her to know that she was pouting.

"Were you expecting me to say 'That is not how my fiancé is supposed to act'?" Demochev eyed the blonde woman, "I've known you long enough to read your mischievous nature."

"You're no fun..." She huffed as she gave her back to him and crossed her arms over her chest.

The General simply chuckled.

_What a woman._

-To be continued-_  
><em>


End file.
